Foodie Chickie

Well didn't find any vanilla almond soap. But the hunt is still on.
I started wrapping Christmas presents last night. It was a lot of fun. I wrap presents pretty badly but it was fun none the less.
I also need to send out my Christmas cards. I am very far behind this year. Bad Ani, bad.
We went to a fish monger for the first time on Sunday. It was pretty neat experience. Usually we just buy them prepackaged. We got a whole fish with head and a tail. But the monger cleaned it for us. I made broiled trout with lemon and rosemary. It was wonderful.
We watched a good episode on The Food Network last night. It was hosted by Rachael Ray and showed how different people in various states celebrate Christmas. They had two recipes in particular I wanted to try.
I found it funny that people in Illinois called sauce gravy when the two are totally different.
I made a really good chicken and potatoes last night. We both really enjoyed it. I found the recipe on cooking.com.
Enjoy!
1 roasting chicken, about 5 lb

1 lemon, quartered

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt to taste, plus 1 teaspoon Salt

Freshly ground pepper

12 cloves garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons plus 3 tablespoons dried oregano

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons coarsely cracked pepper

6 white boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into large wedges

1 cup water or chicken stock, or as needed

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley




Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F.


Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Rub the chicken inside and out with the cut lemon quarters, 1-2 tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and ground pepper. Place the lemon quarters, 4 of the garlic cloves and the 2 teaspoons oregano in the chicken cavity. Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan.


In a small saucepan, combine the remaining olive oil, the lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of the oregano, the coarsely cracked pepper and the 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 3 minutes to blend the flavors. Remove from the heat and set aside.


Place the potatoes around the chicken and sprinkle them with the remaining 1 tablespoon oregano and the remaining 8 garlic cloves. Spoon a little of the simmered lemon-oil mixture over the chicken. Pour 1 cup water or stock evenly over the potatoes and place in the oven. Roast for 15 minutes. Baste the chicken with some of the lemon-oil mixture and reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Roast the chicken, basting with the lemon-oil mixture every 10-15 minutes, until the juices run clear when the thigh joint is pierced or an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest portion of the thigh away from the bone registers 165 degrees F., about 1 hour.


Transfer the chicken to a warmed platter. If the potatoes aren't golden brown, raise the heat to 450 degrees F. and cook for 15-20 minutes longer, adding more water or stock if needed to prevent sticking.


Arrange the potatoes alongside the chicken. Using a large spoon, skim off the fat from the roasting pan, then pour the pan juices into a serving container. Sprinkle the chicken and potatoes with the parsley. Carve the chicken and pass the pan juices at the table.


Reprinted by permission of Weldon Owen. All rights reserved.